Title races will start heating up

The Bay is arguably the toughest division in the Central Coast Section, and Menlo School has been the class of it during the non-league portion of the schedule. The Knights are one of only three undefeated teams in the PAL (along with the Ocean Division’s Woodside and the Lake’s MacDonald) and their 5-0 mark looks sparkling, compared to those of pre-season favorites Los Gatos and Wilcox, who are both 2-2.

But the Knights ride a razor’s edge. With only a couple dozen players on the roster, it remains to be seen if they can withstand the physical rigors of Bay Division play. They certainly have the system and talent to go toe to toe with literally anyone in the CCS, however.

Los Gatos, Wilcox and even 1-4 Menlo-Atherton have played way more rigorous non-league schedules than Menlo and I would expect both Los Gatos and Wilcox to have a say in which team wins the Bay title.

The darkhorse in the division has to be Sacred Heart Prep, which is a sneaky 4-1 and has won four in a row since a 35-10 loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral in the season opener.

PAL De Anza Division

This is shaping up to be a bruiser as the six teams begin division play. King’s Academy is 3-1 with a game against Berean Christian-Walnut Creek Friday. San Mateo and Burlingame are both 3-2 in non-league play, with Capuchino and Carlmont sitting at 1-3.

If Burlingame can get healthy and find some key replacements, they may be tough to beat. The Panthers proved just how gritty they are with last week’s 17-14 win over Hillsdale, a game in which Burlingame was without a large number of players. The Panthers have the speed, size and want to beat other teams.

San Mateo, with its ground-and-pound offensive attack, is a handful for any defense. But the key for the Bearcats is not their offense, but their defense. In their two losses they’ve surrendered 42 points.

Capuchino has struggled, but may have turned a corner with a 27-point effort last week, a season high. Carlmont just needs to lock down defensively, because offensively, the Scots offense is averaging nearly 30 points per game.

I wouldn’t expect the division title to be decided until the final couple weeks of the season and wouldn’t be surprised to see two — or even three teams — tying for the division title.

PAL Ocean Division

Woodside, at 5-0, appears to be the team to beat. They’ve have annihilated the opposition this season, having scored 40 or more points in all five of their games and have one of the more balanced offenses in the division.

But five of the six teams in the division have winning non-league records and the one that doesn’t, Hillsdale, is just 2-3. The division may be the most diverse when it comes to offensive attacks and the team that deals with both the passing and running games the best will have the inside track.

Half Moon Bay, at 3-1, is the most prolific running team in the division. Aragon may have the most high-octane passing attack, but the Dons will need to find a more effective running game to truly get in the title mix. Milpitas, despite a lopsided loss to a really good Santa Teresa squad, has been competitive. Sequoia has struggled offensively this season, but still has a winning record. Hillsdale has struggled at times defensively, but they’ve allowed a combined 23 points in its last two games, going 1-1.

PAL El Camino Division

This division has taken its lumps during non-league play. None of the six teams have a winning record, with only Terra Nova sitting at .500 with a 2-2 mark. Gunn and Santa Clara both are 2-3, South City 1-3, while Fremont-Sunnyvale and Los Altos have yet to win this season.

Despite only a 2-2 record, Terra Nova has shown signs of life this season after the last two forgettable campaigns. The Tigers have a win over the De Anza Division’s Capuchino and when they’re clicking, the Tigers have proven hard to beat. Terra Nova just needs to find some consistency as they’ve alternated wins and losses this season.

Given the struggles the rest of the division has had, this appears to be Terra Nova’s to win.

PAL Lake Division

Because this is an eight-team division, Lake Division play has already started with Mills, Saratoga, MacDonald and Jefferson all 1-0.

MacDonald and Saratoga are a combined 7-1, with MacDonald (4-0) joining Menlo and Woodside as the only undefeated teams in the PAL. The Condors have been downright dominant this season, having outscored the opposition 135-27.

But Mills and Jefferson are on the rise. The Grizzlies are following a pattern established last season that saw them take off in Lake play. Meanwhile, the Vikings may have found something as they’ve won their last two games in convincing fashion.

Like the De Anza Division, the Lake probably won’t be decided until the final couple weeks of the season.

West Catholic Athletic League

If you thought Serra was in trouble, you don’t understand what the Padres went through in the non-league portion of their schedule. No team in the CCS played a more rugged non-WCAL schedule, with losses to Folsom (No. 10 in the state by MaxPreps.com), De La Salle (No. 19 in the nation) and St. John Bosco (ranked No. 1 in the country).

But after being shutout against DLS and SJB, the Padres entered WCAL play last weekend and throttled Valley Christian, 41-6, announcing their intention to challenge for the league crown.

But you can’t play the schedule game when it comes to the WCAL. You can’t say this team should beat that team based on record.

Preseason favorite, Riordan, has lived up to the billing, bolting out to a 4-0 start. But defending Open Division champion, St. Ignatius, is off to a 1-3 start and are coming off a 37-23 loss to 3-1 Mitty.

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal. since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.